Utility officials say no one has been seriously hurt in an explosion at a coal-fired power plant northwest of Atlanta. The chairman of Georgia's Public Service Commission, Chuck Eaton, said an apparent explosion struck Unit 2 at Plant Bowen on Thursday afternoon.

One of the biggest water users in the state, Georgia Power, will open a research center to develop and test conservation technologies. The Water Research Center will be based at Plant Bowen near Cartersville.